Progeny test for AI-sires based on Held results

In Germany the estimation of breeding values of young boars and sows is based on their own data for daily gain and backfat as well as fulland/or half-sib information on carcase traits. In breeding companies young boars are often tested under test station conditions using individual pens to get information on feed conversion while gilts are raised in groups and tested at 90 kg of weight for lifetime average daily gain and backfat thickness. Pedigree breeders in Germany use central test station results of full-and/or half-sibs regarding carcase traits including meat quality in connection with on-farm test results for gilts and auction test results for young boars to evaluate potential breeding stock. Within breeding companies fulland/or half-sibs are tested on production farms using group housing and feeding. Some authors (Brascamp et al. 1985, Merks 1988, Meier 1990) have shown there is the potential for some genotype-environment interaction to occur in pig breeding, which could reduce the efficiency of breeding programmes. The conclusion of these authors is to test animals in the production environments where progeny will be performing. Therefore the efficiency of estimation of breeding values could be increased by using field test results of progeny in conjunction with the testing schemes described above. In all German abattoirs slaughter pigs are automatically recorded on an individual animal basis. This information could be of great value for optimising the estimation of breeding values for boars and sows in breeding programmes, but there is still an unsolved identification problem. To use the abattoir information for breeding purposes information such as identification of parents and date of birth have to be known. On weaner production farms in modem breeding programmes this information is known but the transfer of information and identification between weaner production farm, fattening farm and abattoir is poor or non-existent. Therefore, an approach to link information between the weaner production farm, fattening farm and abattoir using electronic identification systems will be discussed in this paper. The potential for using this information collected at abattoirs, as a progeny test for terminal sires in a breeding program will be shown.